Ex-Egypt premier says he'll run in 2018 presidential vote

Nov. 29, 2017

CAIRO (AP) — A former Egyptian prime minister living in the United Arab Emirates says he will return to his country to contest the 2018 presidential elections.

Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force general who briefly headed a government after longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a 2011 uprising, says in a video posted to YouTube Wednesday that he was "honored" to present himself for the next four-year term.

Shafiq lost by a narrow margin to the Islamist Mohammed Morsi in Egypt's first free election in 2012. He then fled the country and has since dodged several corruption allegations.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has yet to formally declare his candidacy, although he won the last election by an overwhelming majority in a vote independent observers said did not meet international standards for a free election. Another candidate, a rights lawyer, says he intends to run but has alleged harassment by the authorities.